


Wet

by FaeriMagic



Category: Free!
Genre: F/M, Mild Language, Original Character(s), POV First Person, Pseudo-reader, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-25
Updated: 2013-11-25
Packaged: 2018-04-06 04:11:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4207401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaeriMagic/pseuds/FaeriMagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Please manage the swim club tomorrow for me!" Gou had said. And now you were in a position that was more trouble than you bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wet

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction was originally posted on Fanfiction.net. I decided to upload it onto AO3 as well.  
> The reader's nickname is "Mizu-chan". (Lame, I know.)  
> This fanfiction is rated T for language.

“Mizu-chan, are you available tomorrow?” someone suddenly said. I turned around, a bit startled. A girl in a red ponytail was looking at me with a worried expression.

“Yeah, I’m free, why?”

The red-haired girl, I’m pretty sure her name was Gou, grinned in relief. “Oh, good, I needed someone who could take my place tomorrow.”

“Your place?” I said. “Wait, aren’t you a manager of that new swim club?”

She nodded. “I have a dentist appointment tomorrow. I need someone who will be strict with the sets.” She replied, before adding in a quieter voice. “Also, I can’t ask Chigusa, she has a dance recital…”

“…Strict?” Was that how I was perceived?

“Huh? Oh! No, all I need you to do is yell and make sure that they swim the correct number of laps. It’s not too bad. You also need to time them. I’m sure Makoto will be able to help you out, and I’ll even pay you for your time.”

I thought about it. “I’m not doing anything tomorrow, so I guess I could help out. But couldn’t you just ask your club supervisor? I’m sure she’d do a better job than me.”

“Our club supervisor is Amakata-sensei, ehehe…” Gou said with strained voice. “I can’t exactly imagine her yelling out instructions.”

I gave her a grim smile. “I-I see…”

* * *

 

So, there I was at the school swimming pool. I had to admit, the pool was in better shape than I thought it was, considering it was absolutely disgusting the previous year.

I glanced at the notebook Gou handed me and flipped through the pages. Sketches of topless boys and diagrams of angles filled the pages, and I wasn’t entirely sure what all the messy notes meant.

I was a bit worried how I would fare as a temporary manager. I wasn’t exactly experienced in giving people commands.

“Oh, you must be Mizu-chan Gou told us about.” Said a voice.

“Huh?” I said. “Oh, yeah. I’m filling in for her today. And you are…?”

“Tachibana Makoto.” The boy said with a kind smile. “Nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too. Oh, that’s right, Gou said that you might be able to help me manage today. Have you any idea what any of this means?” I said, as I handed him the notebook.

He turned the pages, chuckling at the drawings and handwriting.

“Well, according to the latest entry, I supposed to do 10 laps of breaststroke, Rei-kun 10 laps of butterfly, Nagisa 10 laps of backstroke, and Haruka 10 laps of freestyle.”

“Ehhhh??!” A voice cried out. A blonde boy quickly grabbed the notebook from Makoto and skimmed its contents. “Why is it that you and I have to switch while Haruka and Rei don’t?”

“It’s probably to work on our weaknesses, Nagisa. Rei can’t do anything other than butterfly, and Haruka…”

“Haruka only swims free, I got it.” Nagisa sighed. “Ugh, this is such a pain.”

“I think that’s about all she wanted us to do for today.” Makoto said while returning the notebook. “It’s rather easy for us to do this, so I apologize for having you come down and supervise. You’re free to go home, if you’d like. I wouldn’t want to bother you if you’re in a hurry.”

“I’ll think I’ll stay and time you guys. I’m in no hurry.” I responded. Of course, I would’ve have gone home after that point, if not for the fact that Gou would be eagerly waiting my status report the next day.

“That would be great!” Makoto said.

“Huh? Are you managing us for today?” Nagisa asked. “Did Gou get sick? Did she eat too much teriyaki?”

“She had a dentist appointment.” I replied.

“…Did she eat too many caramel apples…?” Nagisa said in a hushed voice.

“…No, I think it was just a regular dentist appointment.”

* * *

 

And so I passed the day timing the guys. Rei-kun had a decent time, but I thought it could be better. Nagisa-kun struggled with the backstroke and complained a lot, but Tachibana-san took a lot of time to help him perfect his stroke. The other one, Nanase-kun, completely dominated the rest of the other members, and had the fastest times, though this might have been because he was the only one who had already perfected his stroke.

Amakata-sensei sat next to me with her UV-blocking umbrella. She chatted with me a bit, occasionally emphasizing her speech with strange literary quotes.  
The sun was actually beating down heavily, and since I forgot to put on sunscreen, I was a bit worried about getting a sunburn.

“Hey, Mizu-chan! What’s my time?” Nagisa called out.

“3:11!” I shouted back.

“What?! That really sucks!”

The rest of the afternoon progressed in that way. We finally reached a block of time where the members were free to swim however they wished and, feeling drowsy from the warmth of the sun, I slipped into a quick nap.

* * *

 

I woke up to the sound of stillness. No splashing. No shouts of encouragement. Amakata-sensei wasn’t next to me anymore, and it seemed like I was alone.

There was a piece of paper on my lap with writing on it.

“ _Thanks for coming by, I really appreciated your hard work. I didn’t want to wake you, so I left you alone. Haruka might be still in the pool when you wake, feel free to leave him be, he has a tendency to stay in there for hours. Again, thanks for your time! Sincerely, Tachibana Makoto.”_

I yawned and got up from my seat. I could leave right now, but the years of serving customers had been ingrained with me, and I couldn’t leave until the last customer had left. I walked down the length of the pool, wondering if Nanase-kun really was still in the water.

Sure enough, there was a faint shaping of someone in a black swimsuit sitting on the bottom of the pool. I decided to wait for him to come up so I could tell him it was time to leave.

Seconds passed by, and he still didn’t come up. In fact, he remained completely immobile.

I held my breath. I was getting worried. How long was it that humans were able to hold their breath? 30 seconds? A minute?

He still hasn’t come up for air. What if he isn’t breathing? What if I had to go to school the next day and tell Gou ‘Oops, sorry, I drowned one of your swimmers. My bad.’?

I let go of the breath I was holding and gasped for air. He still wasn’t coming out.

He was in the same position as before, motionless.

“Shit!” I said. “Shit, shit, shit!” I hastily dropped the notebook and pen I was holding, kicked off my shoes and dived into the pool.

There he was, sitting as serenely as possible. He looked a bit surprised when he saw me.

He was sitting on the bottom, his arms crossed over his knees, his hair floating above in the water, almost comically.

I was relieved at first, thankful that he wasn’t drowning or dead, but then I was pissed.

“Up.” I mouthed while pointing to the surface of the water.

He slowly got up from the bottom of the pool and obediently swam upwards.

When I went for air, I gasped, realizing that in my panic, I had accidentally swallowed some water. “What the FUCK, Haruka!” I shouted out him, before going into a coughing fit. “How long are you able to hold your fucking breath? I got worried, you fucking shit.” I swam to the side of the pool and paused to regain my oxygen.

Nanase-kun climbed up the pool ladder and shook his head to free out the water in his hair.

“Sorry.” He said simply.

He held out a hand and I grabbed it and he lifted me out of the pool.

“It’s late; you should leave.” I replied a bit coarsely, as I wringed out the water in my hair.  
“It’s only six o’ clock.”

“…Yes, that’s what I meant by late.” I sighed and gathered my things while trying not to get the notebook completely soaked. “There’s extra towels in the locker room, right?

“Nn.”

“…”

* * *

 

“Augh! My socks are so wet.” I muttered to myself as I dried. I was soaking. My shirt inconveniently clung to my skin, and I wondered if I had to hold my backpack to my chest as I walked home.

“Oi.” Nanase-kun said.

“What is it?!” I said, a bit annoyed.

Nanase-kun had already changed into his normal clothes and wordlessly tossed me a shirt and sweatpants.

“They’re clean.” He stated.

I held the articles of clothing for a bit, staring at them a bit stupidly.

“Oh.” I said, when I finally realized that the clothes were for me. “Thanks.”

“The bathroom is down the hall.” He said, pointing.

“…Thanks.” I said again, before heading out of the room.

* * *

 

Feeling much calmer, I exited out of the bathroom to find Nanase-kun holding the things that I left behind.

“Here.” He said as he handed them over.

“Thank you.” I said once again.

His shirt was a bit too big for my figure, and my hair was still very damp, but the change of clothes made a considerable difference to my mood.

I sneezed, feeling a bit chilled. “I’ll return your clothes tomorrow, thanks so much for letting me borrow them.” I said as I pulled on my jacket.

Nanase-kun didn’t respond. He didn’t even give a single nod to register that he even heard me. Well. This was awkward.

We both walked towards the school exit, and I felt strangely nervous about it. There was nothing to be anxiouss about; we were simply going to the same exit, nothing wrong with that.

I reached the exit first, and pushed the door open. I could see that the sky was already starting to tinge in the colors of purple and black.

Nanase-kun soon exited after me.

I sighed and turned to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Perhaps I should laundry the clothes before I returned them. It’s a bit unnecessary, but it was the least I could do after pointlessly making a fool of myself.

“For the record,” Haruka said suddenly. “I can hold my breath for five minutes.”

I turned to stare at him.

“Five minutes? Five fucking minutes? Are you a fucking dolphin?” I said incredulously.

“Wouldn’t that be nice?” He said as he shifted his bookbag before leaving and waving nonchalantly. “Well, thanks for worrying about me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Five whole fucking minutes? What the fuck? And, wait, what? Me? Worried about him? A-as if!

After going home, I immediately stripped myself of the borrowed clothes and took a long, hot, angry shower.


	2. Stinging Pain

The red mark seemed to haunt me. Taunt me. It was as if its sole purpose was to broadcast to the whole world about how idiotic and stupid a person I was.

_Why_ didn’t I use protection first? Ugh..

I tried to ignore the faint stinging as I went about through my school day. Hopefully, no one would notice it. Hopefully.

It was lunch time, now. I had a few minutes to stop by Nanase-kun’s classroom. It was a bit sparse, with only a few students here and there, but then most students liked to eat lunch on the rooftop, so that was to be expected. Nanase-kun, however, seemed to be listening intently to Tachibana-kun’s and Nagisa-kun’s conversations.

“Oh? It’s Mizu-chan! This is new!” Nagisa said, noticing my arrival. “Did you want to join the swim club? Weren’t we so cool yesterday?” He bounded over to me, while pulling me into the small group. “I think we have a few charms left, would you like one?”

I flinched a bit, and took my hand out of Nagisa’s grip.

“Oh, um, no, I just came to drop off Nanase-kun’s clothes. I accidentally fell into the pool yesterday, and uh, he let me borrow them.” I pulled out the neatly folded shirt and sweatpants and handed it to Nanase-kun, who took it wordlessly. “I already laundried it, so you don’t have to worry about washing them.”

“You fell into the pool?!” Tachibana-kun asked worriedly. “Are you alright? Did you hit your head?”

“Oh, no, I was completely fine!” I lied. _I jumped into the pool like a complete idiot and humiliated myself, of course I’m fine._

“…You got a sunburn.” Nanase-kun said.

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. Was the burn that obvious?

“H-Huh?” I replied, a bit shakily. “What sunburn?” I tried to hide my hands discreetly behind my back, only to have them pulled out again in examination by Tachibana-kun.

“AHH!” Tachibana-kun said. “I should have offered you sunscreen yesterday!” There was a concerned look on his face as he carefully held my hands. “But why is it only on your hands?”

I stayed silent for a few seconds as I processed this contact before starting to grin and giggle. Honestly, it was just a sunburn. It was embarrassing to have people notice my mark of carelessness, but the worry and concern on both Tachibana’s and Nagisa’s faces was a bit endearing, hilariously so.

“It must have been the way I sat, as well as the help of Amikata-sensei’s umbrella. I also got sunburned on my knees and legs as well, so it isn’t just my hands.” I replied with another smile. “Anyways, it’s alright. It isn’t your fault.” I removed my hands from Tachibana’s gentle hold. “It’s entirely mine, and it’s a pain I’ll just live with for a few days, maybe even a week or so.”

I was feeling giddy. Why was I feeling giddy? Perhaps it’s the thought that other people that I didn’t know well (strangers, practically) could be concerned for my well-being. I didn’t exactly encounter that sort of compassion that much in my very mundane life.

“Well, I just stopped by to make sure Nanase-kun got his clothes.” I said and out of habit, I added, “I’ll see you later.”

“…See you.” Nanase-kun replied.

“Yeah, we’ll see you later!” Nagisa-kun added.

I paused. I wasn’t really sure why I paused. Something…something important had just happened, but I couldn’t place a finger on it.

I shrugged and waved goodbye to the three before making my way back to class, carefully trying to hide my sun-marked hands.


	3. Closeness

The halls were bustling. I could hear the excited chatter of my fellow classmates as they eagerly shoved their way out of the school. As for me, I was in no hurry. I didn’t have work today, so I could leisurely waste away my time doing whatever I wanted. Oh, and there was the grudging matter of schoolwork to attend to, of course, but today I didn’t receive that much homework. Perhaps my teachers caught the summer break bug early.

“Mizu-chan!” a voice cried out. I froze in my steps. The only person who would even occasionally bother to talk to me was Soremiya Ruka, a friendly (if a bit bothersome) acquaintance. But it wasn’t the peppy writer that addressed me. It was Nagisa-kun.

“Oh, good, it _is_ you, Mizu-chan.” He said, obviously pleased to see me. “I wasn’t sure if it was you at first.”

“Yes, it is I.” I said. “Me. I’m me. Was there anything that you needed?” He’s got to have some type of request that he wanted me to do. Babysitting? Tutoring? I wasn’t experienced in those fields, so I would have to politely turn the request down if it came to those.

“Are you free afterschool, today?” He asked.

“Yeah, I have nothing planned.” I replied, smiling a bit grimly. _I almost never have anything planned._ _Ever._ The lack of activities in my schedule was kinda starting to frighten me, actually.

“Great! Then, do you wanna come to the swimming pool afterschool? I heard that Rin is coming over. There’s gonna be an epic battle between Rin and Rei as they try to outmatch and gauge each other’s skills.” His eyes shone in excitement as he explained this to me. “It’s gonna be awesome.”

I tried to listen, I really did, but it was hard to hear him speak through the loud atmosphere. I caught the phrases “epic battle”, “Rin and Rei”, and “try to….each other’s…”.

“Who?” I said. I didn’t know any Rins.

“It’s afterschool at the pool. You know, the pool you helped out the other day?” he responded. Darn it, he must have heard me incorrectly. “Oh, I gotta go! Can’t wait to see you there!” And then he went and rushed off down the hallway.

Goddammit. Now I gotta make my way to the pool to watch an epic battle where a Rin and Rei try to ___ each other’s ___. Though considering that we’re talking about the pool, it’s highly likely that Rei and this Rin were going to hold a swimming race.

I found it a bit odd, though, that Nagisa singled me out. Aside from the temporary managing arrangement, I wasn’t close to Nagisa at all. Still, seeing as he expected me to be there, I made my way to the pool. Nagisa-kun was the type of person you didn’t want to let down. Waterfalls of tears and the awful cloud of regret were sure to come if you did.

* * *

 

It was hot. Summer break was drawing near. The pool area was empty save for two individuals. Nanase-kun, who was expectantly already in the water, and a red-haired boy who I didn’t recognize.

“Oi!” the red-haired boy called out to Haruka. “You know that if you stay in there too long, your skin will get all pruney!”

Nanase-kun did not respond and instead dove once again into the water.

I was then noticed by the red-haired boy.

“Hah? Who are you? You don’t look like you’re the type of person interested in swimming.” He said, before adding, “No offense.”

Finally, someone who understood me. “None taken, you’re completely right.” I replied. “I’m—“

“This is Mizu-chan, Rin-chan!” Nagisa popped up from behind me. “I invited her here, cause she’s our new friend!”

I stared at the blonde next to me. _Friend??_

“Mizu…chan?” Rin-kun said, with a chuckle.

I sighed. “It’s a nickname that I’m unfortunately stuck with.”

"I see." Rin-kun said with another laugh. He turned his attention to Rei who had entered the pool area with Tachibana-kun. "Hey, Rei, ready to lose?"

“Don’t underestimate me.” Rei said, while pushing up his glasses. “I have been observing the Samezuka stroke for quite some time and have isolated its weaknesses.”

“Big words coming from a guy that can’t swim anything other than the butterfly.” Rin grinned.

“Bu--! Ahm--! I j-just don’t find the other strokes as b-beautiful, that’s all!” Rei spluttered.

One of the words caught my attention.

“Samezuka…?”

“Ah, Matsuoka-kun goes to Samezuka Academy. He occasionally visits and hangs out with us.” Tachibana-kun explained to me.

“OI, HARU-CHAN-SAN!!” Rin hollered to Nanase-kun, who was still in the water. (What an odd way to address a person, I thought) “GET OUT OF THE WATER OR WE’LL CRASH INTO YOU.”

Nanase-kun paused in mid-stroke and slowly swam to the side and climbed out.

“Eh? Are you guys starting already?” Gou said, with Amakata-sensei in tow.

“No time like the present!” Nagisa said as he unnecessarily pumped his hand into the air. Rin and Rei were already on the starting blocks and in position. The pool was empty, and the water seemed to ripple with life.

“Ready?” Nagisa shouted. “Set? Then GO already!” And with that the two swimmers dived into the water.

“Oooh, this is so exciting!” Nagisa said.

I checked the time. It was 3:17. If nothing else happened, then perhaps I would be able to leave by 3:45. Yes, that sounded like a reasonable time to leave.

Gou and Amakata-sensei were already on the bleachers cheering Rin and Rei on. Well, at least Gou was. Amakata-sensei had her UV umbrella once again and was conserving her energy. I should probably sit down as well.

Nanase-kun was still walking down the length of the pool slowly as he watched Rin and Rei. I was just passing by him when I heard the fast pacing of feet paired with an over-enthusiastic cheering voice.

“GO, GO, REI! GO, GO, RIN!” Nagisa shouted before turning to focus his attention on where he was running. Straight towards me, that is.

“Auuuugh!!!” Nagisa said as he realized his course of collision. I easily side-stepped his running figure before being jolted with the sensation of a lack of stability.

I was falling.

Shit.

* * *

 

I waved my arms erratically.

“Dammit!!!” I squeaked as I clawed at the air. I wasn’t concerned with how idiotic I looked, I was more concerned with the fact that I had my fucking electronics in my bag that could not, absolutely could not get wet.

_Shit, I hope my phone works after this fucking mess._ I thought as I closed my eyes and braced for the impact.

There was a sensation of wetness and confusion. For one thing, I was still standing. For another, my bag was still considerably dry. Also, my face was pressed against something…soft. And…wet.

And…warm?

“Are you alright?” A quiet voice said.

My eyes widened. _Are you fucking kidding me?_

* * *

 

I lost all thinking.

“I-I’m fine, s-sorry!” I said as I pushed myself away from Haruka and took a step back. I took a step back into the previous scenario and once again found myself waving my arms erratically.

However this time, when Haruka pulled me in, I didn’t find myself in close proximity as before.

As I regained my footing on the flat ground, Nagisa apologized profusely for his actions while Tachibana-kun scolded him from across the pool.

“Are you alright??” Nagisa-kun asked me worriedly. I sighed.

“I’m…alright…” I said as I tried to smile. My bag was fine. I didn’t take an unintentional dip in the water like last time, which was a relief. However, I felt a faint…unease? No, it was more like a slight tension. Why was that? My phone was safe, wasn’t it? I glanced at Nanase-kun.

“Thanks.” I said to him quietly. A bit too quietly, actually. “Thank you.” I tried again, a bit louder.

Nanase-kun stayed quiet for a few seconds before finally lifting his head and giving his response. “Nn.” He then continued walking down the length of the pool to meet with Rin and Rei, who had finished their epic battle.

_‘Nn’? Seriously?_ I felt just slightly irritated…

“Ah, it seems that Rin has won again.” Nagisa noted before turning to me. “Are you sure you’re alright, Mizu-chan?”

“Oh, I’m fine, really. I’m just a little shaken and wet, but I’ll recover.” I said, my smile becoming a bit more genuine. “I’m just really glad that my bag didn’t get soaked.”

“Oh, yeah!” Nagisa agreed, becoming more like his usual happy self. “That would be bad, wouldn’t it? If you got your homework wet?” (Oh, yeah, I’d forgotten about my homework…)

I was just a little wet from the event, since Nanase-kun had just recently gotten out of the water and all.

I decided I just wanted to forget the embarrassing event as soon as possible.

“Yeah.” I responded to Nagisa. “So, anyways…Rin won, huh?” Ryugazaki-kun seemed to be taking his loss awfully well.

“Well, it’s to be expected, since Rin had a lot of training from over abroad. Rei’s just a beginner, after all.”

“I see.” I watched Tachibana-kun joke with Rin and Rei. Apparently, the danger of me falling in the pool had passed. The pleasant mood of contentment had settled in once again and even Amakata-sensei and Gou had left the bleachers to join in. I had the familiar pang of loneliness as I watched them.

“Say, Nagisa-kun. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, Mizu-chan. What is it?”

“Why did you invite me down here?”

“Why?” Nagisa paused as he tried to think of a reason. “Hmm…oh!” He turned to face me. “’Because you’re our friend.’ That’s the reason, I think.”

“Really?” I said, a bit unconvinced.

“Sure! Even though we only met you a few days ago, I have concluded that Mako-chan, Rei-chan, and Haru-chan, and I like you. You were a great help when Gou had a dance recital, and you were super nice, too! So now, you’re considered our friend.“

I stared at the blonde stupidly. Wasn’t it Chigusa that had a dance recital? In any case…

“That’s not how friendship works.” I replied. You can’t just be friends with someone after a single day, right?

Nagisa stopped smiling and then asked in a serious tone. “Do you not want to be friends, Mizu-chan?” He said in a quiet, almost worried tone of voice.

Ah, there it was again, that pang of guilt.

“Ah! I mean, uh…” I struggled to find a suitable answer. Our conversation at this point was largely ignored by the rest of the group, who were participating in a congratulatory hubbub.

“I…I just don’t know you guys well enough to consider you all as my friends.” I said finally. Nagisa looked strangely relieved.

“That’s fine.” He said. He paused a few seconds before continuing. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Rei-chan had a secret he never told anyone, or Haru-chan for that matter. Mizu-chan, I think you might be over-analyzing this. We consider you our friend because you were fun to be with. Isn’t that what friendship is? Having fun with each other?”

I was quiet. Me? Fun? With others? It was a concept that I hadn’t thought about.

When was the last time I considered someone my friend, anyways? Was it when I was a first-year? No…perhaps maybe before that?

When was the last time I hung out with someone and just had fun? I couldn’t seem to remember…

“Ah! You’re crying!” Nagisa cried, a bit softly so no one else would notice.

“Huh? I’m not crying.” I denied as I blinked. I twiddled my thumbs. There was a sudden knot in my gut, and it felt very unpleasant. I needed to leave before the water started to gush out. I needed to leave immediately. “Sorry, Nagisa-kun, I think I need to leave early.”

“That’s alright, Mizu-chan.” Nagisa said in a strange, comforting way. “I hope you’ll feel better soon.”

I smiled quietly. That kid has some awfully good perception. I waved goodbye to Tachibana-kun, who seemed to be the only one to notice my early leave.

“By the way, Nagisa.” I said, before I left the pool area.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for considering me as your friend.”

He smiled warmly. “No problem at all.”

It was 3:30 exactly.

By 3:36, I was alone as I walked back to my home. The sun was still shining relentlessly, but as I walked under the protective shade of a row of trees, rain began to silently fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mizu-chan, don't pull the FMA trick and pretend your tears are the rain... o3o"
> 
> Ahm...have some character development...? *throws her attempts to develop the reader-character*  
> I also developed your relationship with Nagisa.  
> I think the title for this chapter is rather accurate for once.


	4. A Walk in the Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaha, half a year later... Sorry about that. It's finally summer break in the real world, but there's still a ton of stuff to do! Stuff...so much stuff... I'm going to mark this as "Incomplete", now, since it's obviously not complete. Sorry to all who clicked this story before, hoping for a complete story to read.
> 
> I actually forgot that I had this chapter finished a while ago. Woops.
> 
> Oh, and about what I said earlier, about the ''choose whatever name you want for Mizu, there you go'', thing. There'll be a minor backstory to her nickname. (But her real name will forever remain up to your choosing.)
> 
> (Also, "A Walk in the Rain"? Really? Really?)

I rummaged through my schoolbag. "Come on." I muttered. "You're in there, I know it!" My hand closed around a cylindrical object and I frowned. No, that was a pen. I shook the bag and peered at its contents. It wasn't there. "Are you kidding me?" It's the last day of school before break and God decided to let all this rain fall down, and I don't even have an umbrella.  
  
I sighed. _Okay, whatever. What else do I have?_ I rummaged through my bag and found approximately 382 yen. Was that enough to buy a cheap umbrella? I wasn't sure. In any case, I would have to run to the nearest convenient store, which would take about ten minutes. I peered out the window with distaste. I could already see the ground wet with mud. _Right, time to get this gauntlet over with._ I pulled my jacket closer as I grimly made my way to the exit.  
  
"Ah! Mizu-chan!" A voice called out to me. I turned around. _Ah, it's Tachibana-kun._ I gave a small wave of hello, and returned to mentally preparing myself to walk through the onslaught of H2O.  
  
 _Right, here goes._ I sighed, before beginning to run with my schoolbag over my head.  
  
 _Ugh! Wet! In my socks! Whyyyy!?_ I thought miserably as I splashed through the deep puddles. I was already at the school gate when I heard Tachibana-kun call me again.  
  
"Wait up!" Tachibana yelled at me. I paused as I waited for him to catch up with me.  
  
"What is it?" I asked him. Wait, was he panting? Was he running too fast? Impossible, Tachibana's a perfectly capable athlete, and I doubted something like a little sprint would've been difficult for him.  
  
He tried to give a small laugh. "You don't have an umbrella, right? We can share." He held up the umbrella he was carrying over my head, which did relieve some of the annoying pattering that fell onto my bag. However, the situation felt quite…awkward, to say the least.  
  
"Thanks, but I'm fine." I said automatically. _Ha. Hahaha. Mizu, you idiot, anyone can see that you're already soaked to the bone._  
  
"Are you sure?" Tachibana said with concern. He shook his head. "Wait, no, I insist! You'll catch a terrible cold if you walk home in this weather!"  
  
"I said I'm fine." I said calmly, before continuing to walk away. _Gaddamn it Mizu, you're making a bad decision. So what if you're not used to this kind of situation. You'll be sneezing and drooling some disgusting shit from your nostrils tomorrow if you don't take up on Makoto's kindness._  
  
 _Jeez, shut up, why should I? A cold isn't the end of the world._  
  
 _You idiot, you have work tomorrow._  
  
 _Oh._  
  
I stopped walking, only to realize that Makoto had been behind me the whole time I had my internal monologue. He smiled at me while continuing to hold up the umbrella that shielded us from the godforsaken rain. I lowered my schoolbag down.  
  
"Is it alright if I walked you home?" He asked once more.  
  
"…Sure." I said. "…Thanks."  
  
"No problem, Mizu-chan." He smiled again.  
  
I pulled my jacket closer. It was getting a bit chilly. "My house is a few minutes past that old swimming club we used to have." I said as we began to walk.  
  
"Oh, really!" He was quiet for a moment before continuing to speak. "Did you ever go there? The swimming club, I mean?"  
  
I shook my head. "Well, my parents told me that I used to go there until I was two. Then suddenly, I just stopped going." I shrugged. "Swimming's just wasn't for me, I guess."  
  
"I see."  
  
 _Okay, Mizu, don't be that awful conversation bummer, say something!_ "What about you?" _Nailed it._ I tried again. "What about you? When did you become interested in swimming?"  
  
Tachibana-kun's eyes lit up, obviously happy with the question. "Oh, I don't know, Haru and I have always gone to that old swimming club that I just can't really remember my actual first time there." He chuckled. "Oh, once it rained a lot, about the same amount that we're having right now." He shook the umbrella slightly for emphasis. "We were just leaving the club when Haruka suddenly just stood there and looked at the sky."  
  
 _Why in the world would he do that?_ I thought.  
  
Tachibana-kun smiled. " 'What are you doing, Haru-chan?' I asked him. And all he said was, 'The rain feels nice.' "  
  
"…Nanase-kun is weird, sometimes." I said simply.  
  
"Right? In the end, he caught a cold. When I visited him the next day to drop off some soup, he kept on moaning 'Mackerel…' " Tachibana-kun laughed. "Oh, I think I went off-topic, there, didn't I?"  
  
"No, that's alright." I said. _Better for him to talk than me, anyways._ Tachibana-kun smiled. He changed the topic.  
  
"Nagisa-kun's thinking about having a group trip sometime over break. Last year, we visited the beach as part of club training, but it'd be nice to go somewhere else for a change. Maybe a mountain, or an aquarium..? Ah, but if we go to an aquarium, we'd all have to keep an eye on Haru."  
  
"Why?" I asked him. "Why, would he try to eat the fish?"  
  
Tachibana chuckled. "Maybe, maybe. Actually, Haru tends to dive into any body of water he finds, so that could be problematic." _As I thought, Nanase-san is a weirdo._ I thought grimly.  
  
"It sounds like you guys have your hands full." I said, a bit matter-of-factly.  
  
"Yeah…" Tachibana trailed off. We passed the site where the old swimming club once stood, and I thought saw wistfulness and nostalgia in Tachibana's eyes. The rain kept on pouring down as we continued to make our way down the puddle-filled street. "You know, if we do have a group-trip, you're welcome to come with us, if you'd like."  
  
I gave Makoto a glance before returning my eyes to street. "I have a lot of things to do this summer, but I'll think about it." I said. _Wow, that was totally not vague._ It didn't seem to bother Tachibana-kun much, however. In fact, he seemed pleased with my vague reply.  
  
"That's great! I hope you'll be able to come with us!" He replied. I nodded my head listlessly.  
  
After a few minutes, we finally reached my house and parted ways.  
  
"I'm home…" I said into the empty hall. No one replied. Which was to be expected since both of my parents had already gone to work at this time. The rain seemed to tap on the windows in a melodic rhythm and, combined with the fact that my clothes were very damp, it caused me to feel very drowsy.  
  
"Shower." I muttered to myself as I took off my shoes.  
  
After a quick shower, I decided to turn in early.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now you've talked to Makoto! Yeahhh, (Affinity: +)! I guess the only guy you haven't directly spoken to is Rei. Hmmm...


End file.
